


Philia

by flawedamythyst



Category: Sherlock (TV), Sherlock Holmes & Related Fandoms
Genre: Gen, Post-Episode: s04e03 The Final Problem, Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-17
Updated: 2017-01-17
Packaged: 2018-09-18 05:26:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,045
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9369956
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flawedamythyst/pseuds/flawedamythyst
Summary: Sherlock & Molly meet for the first time after the phone call.Ficlet prompt from HelenFrances.





	

"Molly," said Sherlock cautiously.

From the stricken look on her face, she hadn't been expecting Sherlock to open John's front door. Clearly she hadn't hear what had happened to Baker Street yet. Or maybe she had, and she hadn't expected John to have opened his home up to Sherlock. Reasonable, given how strained things had been over the last few months.

Things were getting better with John though, enough that he'd only hesitated for a few seconds before inviting Sherlock to use his spare room while Baker Street was rebuilt.

Instead, things were now awkward with Molly, because of Euros and her game-playing. Sherlock wondered if he'd ever manage to reach a point where no one was furious with him.

Sherlock had decided earlier that it was better to just meet this particular awkwardness head on, rather than let it stretch on for the next few weeks. The quicker they put it behind them, the quicker they never had to speak of it again.

Molly gave him what she probably hoped was a brisk nod but came across as more of an disjointed head bob. "Sherlock. Is, um, is John here?"

"He's making tea," said Sherlock, opening the door wider so that she could get the vast amounts of luggage that seemed to go everywhere Rosie went inside. "Do you need me to take something?"

He'd sort of meant the buggy, or one of the bags, but somehow he ended up with a baby dumped in his arms instead. He gave Rosie what he hoped was an encouraging smile, and she stared at him blankly. Clearly he needed to spend more time on his project to make her like him, or his plot to use her as emotional blackmail if John ever decided to try and shut Sherlock out of his life again wasn't going to go very well.

He bounced her gently in his arms and tried out a silly face, which earned him a hesitant smile. Excellent, he could build on that.

He looked up to see Molly staring at him and cleared his throat. "Would you like tea?" he tried.

She shook her head, looking away. "Oh no, I have to be getting away, um, got things to do."

Sherlock gave an exasperated sigh. Why did people who'd known him years still try to lie to him? "No, you don't. You're just feeling awkward because you told me you loved me."

She went pink. "Fine. Yes, okay," she said. "Which is why I'm going to leave."

She started to open the front door again. Sherlock stepped forward and put his hand on it, forcing it shut. Rosie shifted uneasily in her arms, turning to stare at Molly. Sherlock gave her another bounce to keep her calm.

"No," he said to Molly. "Bad idea. You'll never get over it if you ignore it."

She stared at him with the shocked look that Sherlock was all too used to having aimed at him. " _Get over it_?!" She jabbed a finger at him. "You don't get to tell me what I do with my emotions!"

"Ah, no, I meant the phone call not the. Um. The whole thing," said Sherlock.

"Oh. Right, yes," she said, the anger leaving her as quickly as it had come.

Rosie shifted in Sherlock's arms, clearly growing bored, and reached out for one of Sherlock's jacket buttons. He hoped she wouldn't pull it off. In the wake of the bomb at Baker Street, Mrs. Hudson probably wouldn't be very keen on doing any sewing for Sherlock.

Sherlock pressed his lips together. He'd already decided what he needed to say to Molly to make this better, he just had to get it out and then they could get on with the rest of their lives.

"Molly, I think you should know that you are very important to me," he said, wishing he was able to talk about these sorts of messy, emotional things without sounding so stilted.

Molly deflated, her shoulders slumping. "Yes, I know," she said, sounding tired.

"And that despite the difficulty of the situation," continued Sherlock, avoiding her gaze by peeling Rosie's fingers off his button and shaking her hand gently instead, "everything I said during that phone call was true." 

Her head whipped up and she stared at him. He doggedly went on.

"I am not an easy man to be friends with, and I appreciate all the support you have shown me over the years."

Rosie made a quiet 'ah' noise, and reached for his hand with her other one, brushing badly co-ordinated fingers over his knuckles.

"Right," said Molly, faintly. Sherlock risked looking up at her and it looked as if, perhaps, he might be getting somewhere.

"I know you're aware of the circumstances of that call," he said. "I would hate it if my sister succeeded in ruining our friendship for me, as was her intention."

"Right," Molly said again, then shook her head. "Sherlock, I don't-"

"Sherlock, do you want this tea? Oh, hello, Molly," said John, from the sitting room doorway. His eyes lit on Rosie and his face brightened. "And there's my little munchkin!" he said, and came over to take her from Sherlock. "Hello, darling, have you have a good time with Molly?"

Rosie gave him a wide smile and made a happy, chirping sound.

"Are you coming up for tea, Molly?" John asked.

Sherlock looked back at Molly, watching her hesitate, and widened his eyes slightly to imply pleading. "You should. I think there are biscuits."

Molly took a deep breath, then gave in. "Yeah, okay. Just a quick one."

"Great," said John, turning to go into the sitting room. "You can help me explain baby-proofing to Sherlock."

Sherlock sighed. "That equipment was only on the floor for a moment. How was I supposed to know she'd pick that precise moment to blunder into it?"

Molly let out a shaky laugh. "Because she's a baby, and they always go straight for the thing you don't want them near?"

"That's what I said," said John, and Sherlock resigned himself to spending the next half an hour being berated by both of them.

He was rather looking forward to it, actually, given the alternative of neither of them speaking to him.


End file.
